News broke last night that the IBF 130-pound mandatory title defense between Mzonke Fana and Argenis Mendez is off due to Fana not being prepared enough for the fight. Fana is at risk of being stripped by the IBF now, leaving Mendez the possibility to fight for the vacant title. The #2 spot is vacant and #3 Jason Litzau is tied up against Adrien Broner on HBO in mid-June. A guy that I am championing as the opponent is Salinas, California's Eloy Perez, who has been outclassing lesser opposition each time out on Telefutura and is in my opinion ready to step it up. This fight would make a ton of sense as a pay-per-view opening fight on the proposed July 30th Erik Morales card. Here is my writeup on the subject, let me know your thoughts. This content is protected Fana-Mendez off! Fana to be stripped? Mark Ortega Wednesday saw news break that the IBF super featherweight clash between South African based defending champion Mzonke Fana [30-4, 12 KOs] and #1 contender Argenis Mendez [18-1, 9 KOs] of Brooklyn, New York has been scrapped from its original date of June 11th in South Africa's Carnival City due to Fana claiming he does not have a trainer or proper training facilities to be ready for his mandated defense. The IBF may decide to strip Fana, which could leave the IBF title up for grabs. With the number two spot in the rankings vacant, and #3 Jason Litzau locked in against Golden Boy Promotions prospect Adrien Broner for June 18th on HBO, it leaves Mendez without an obvious opponent to fight for the newly available belt. One name that may not be on the tip of everyone's tongue but could make the most sense is newly inserted into the rankings Eloy The Prince Perez [21-0-2, 5 KOs] of Salinas, California, who has been shutting out opponents on Telefutura Solo Boxeo cards the past year plus and has been looking to step up in competition. Perez is coming off another lopsided decision victory over Alejandro Rodriguez last month in San Francisco and has Golden Boy Promotions behind him, which helps make this fight a bit more possible. Click here to read the rest...
